Realm of Arginium

The Realm of Arginium is a high fantasy world setting created by author Tom Brown in 2020. The entire project - the setting and the books written about it - are dedicated to the memory of his mother, Phyllis Brown, who passed away on 9 October 2020.

History ■ Races ■  Grand Commonwealth ■  Prominent Places

Organisations ■ Religions ■  Magick ■  Legends ■  Characters

Lament of the Wayfarers ■ Voice of the Isles ■  Black Codex ■  Terrace of the Gods

Celestial Isles

 * race(s) - Humans (Nigerians), Elves, Halflings
 * population - 2.3 million
 * land area - 733,000 sq mi (1.9 million sq km)
 * major regions - Mialomar Plains, the Cradle, Eglerea Valley, Zepheros Mountains, Gannotora Heights, Afarant Wastes, Driadolon Swamp, Eozinara Mountains, Tasheala Desert, Ovenica Plains, Abrania Forest
 * politics - The lands of the Isles are ruled over by eight princes, each leading one of the Eight Banners which represent the principalities. The Isles are a loosely affiliated vassal of the Grand Commonwealth.  This relationship is not entirely popular or unpopular; the Princes know even if the Banners were united, they would still not have the strength to adequately resist Royal will.

East Shazodran

 * aka - The Twin Lands
 * human(s) - Nilra (Vietnamese)
 * non-human(s) - Basli (cat folk), Orcs
 * geography - plains, forests, hills, mountains, swamps
 * population - 13.6 million
 * land area - 2.3 million sq mi (5.9 million sq km)
 * major regions - TBD
 * politics - TBD

West Shazodran

 * aka - The Twin Lands
 * human(s) - Fiuli (Persians)
 * non-human(s) - Gralana (lizard folk), Orcs
 * geography - plains, forests, hills, mountains, swamps
 * population - 11.7 million
 * land area - 2.05 million sq mi (5.3 million sq km)
 * major regions - Faswor Plains, Udrana Mountains, Basmarus Heights, Hesmela Valley, Osnen Forest, Nistrigar Forest, Urrobis Plains, Droinia Mountains, Achor Swamp,
 * politics - TBD

Wizarding Guild

 * type - arcane order
 * ranks - apprentice, journeyman, adept, master

Operating as one of the numerous guilds of the continent, it is charged with the promotion and preservation of magick, dedicated to the study and application of the arcane arts, and committed to protecting the secrets of the arcanum. It centralises standards and teachings, and advocates the disciplined use of the mystical powers. It seeks those it learns of who have experienced their Unbinding (as the first manifestation of someone’s arcane aptitude is known) and approaches the family with an offer of instruction, ensuring that they are fully and responsibly taught the proper respect and caution for wielding Magick while simultaneously enabling them in their journey of study and enlightenment. In so doing, the order also prepares the young arcanist for a life of service and duty. The Guild has operated under a Royal charter since the Commonwealth was established.

TBD Trading Company

 * type - mercantile trading company
 * ranks - associate, agent, inspector, factor, grand factor

A trading company chartered by and under the control of the Empire, the Filini are responsible for spreading Imperial economic influence and providing various business services at its trade halls found in every major city. Its leadership is vested in its Board of Assessors. The league also has a presence in several port cities in the Celestial Isles, and maintains contacts with some of the city-states of the Nilra in Eastern Shazodran.

Last Regiment

 * type - elite infantry
 * ranks - armsman, sergeant, lieutenant, captain, commander

An old and well-known infantry force in the Imperial Army, it is an elite force known for its strict adherence to the soldier's code and the almost merciless discipline it maintains. When not deployed on an assignment, the Regiment billets at Fort Exern, the central base of the Army north of the capital. It can only be dispatched on the direct orders of the Grand Magister.

The Twelve

 * type - polytheistic
 * location(s) - Arginium
 * god(s) - 12 (Nilena, Corvana, Avnir, Arelia Yona, Thanris, Vedea, Evarus, Iton Ealdir, Omera, Zeolar, Wilous, Sannia)
 * ranks - deacon, prelate, curate

Most of Arginium worships a pantheon known as the Twelve, who are considered the stewards of creation. They are Nilena, goddess of love and matrimony; Corvana, goddess of hearth and family; Avnir, god of war and protection; Arelia Yona, goddess of secrets and silence; Thanris, god of death and time; Vedea, goddess of magic and knowledge; Evarus, god of law and order; Iton Ealdir, god of fortune and prosperity; Omera, goddess of compassion and mercy; Zeolar, god of agriculture and weather; Wilous, god of arts and artifice; and, Sannia, goddess of healing and medicine. Collectively, they preserve and maintain their mother's creation and answer only to her. The Twelve dwell in a realm outside of the Infinite Veil known as the Immaculate Gardens, a realm of timeless beauty filled with colourful flowers, lush forests, and placid lakes and streams.

In the time before time, the Allmother wove the tapestry of creation, known as the Infinite Veil, setting the worlds and stars in place upon its gossamer elegance. She shaped the peoples of the world from the essence of its beginnings by the power of her divine will. While mortals are vaguely aware of the existence of the Star Mother, very little is known of her beyond the rare glimpses granted by the Twelve to their prophets. She is transcendent, completely outside of and beyond the world. She is also sometimes referred to by the Twelve as "the High One". She alone has the power to create independent life, and while she does not always intervene in the actions of the Twelve, she knows all that transpires and can do so whenever she deems it necessary.

Golden Path

 * type - polytheistic
 * location(s) - Celestial Isles
 * god(s) - Lords of Enlightenment (three)
 * ranks - priest, high priest

The Golden Path is a faith that memorialises the ancestors of the people, while focusing on honouring the guidance and protections of the Lords of Enlightenment, a group of divine beings whose energies are intimately interwoven with the energies of the universe itself, creating the mutually beneficial relationship considered symbolic of the natural cycle of life and death. Every follower of the Path is exhorted to pursue a life that embraces thoughtfulness, compassion, and patience, and to live in a way that is considerate of the effect each person's choices has on those around them.

Sacred Flame

 * type - monotheistic
 * location(s) - Western Shazodran
 * god(s) - Thundering One
 * ranks - priest

The majority of the Fiuli of Western Shazodran worship a deity known as the Thundering One, a divine entity who is said to have shaped the lands of the continent through sheer force of will, “accompanied by the great thunders of creation itself”. While it is believed the Thundering One very rarely directly intervenes in mortal affairs, they are said to see and know all, and their favour (or lack thereof) determines the ultimate fate of their followers. The religion is described as militant, and has a tendency to react very poorly towards emissaries of other faiths.

Blessed Accord

 * type - polytheistic
 * location(s) - Eastern Shazodran (Nilra)
 * god(s) - Blessed Intercessors
 * ranks - almoner, high almoner

Within Eastern Shazodran, the Nilra worship a circle of deities known as the Blessed Intercessors. They intercede regularly for their people to the Master of the Heavens, who the Nilra believe is so high above mortals that they are unworthy to address him directly. The Intercessors protect and shepherd Nilra society, blessing it with prosperity and peace when the tenets of the faith are observed, and punishing them with famine and dangers when they do not observe the religious teachings. The merchants of Nilra society pray and give alms regularly to them, especially, as commerce is a cornerstone of their civilisation.

Enta Ivasaar

 * type - polytheistic
 * location(s) - Ethredore (elves)
 * god(s) - Divine Court
 * ranks - priest, high priest

Enta Ivasaar - also known as "the Way of the Ancestors" - is centered around the remembrance and worship of their ancestors. Every family honours and remembers their own predecessors, while all maintain special reverence for the respected philosophers, military leaders, and healers among their society, among others. The religion teaches that the Ancestors, watching over them from the afterlife, protect their society and their people, offering subtle guidance in the form of various signs or portents, as well as by acting on the conscience of the believer. Simultaneously, the Ancestors are believed to intercede on their behalf to the Divine Court, as the small pantheon of nameless elven deities are known.

Followers begin and end each day with a meditation known as Avirinza, which is fifteen minutes of silent communion with the Ancestors. The holiest elven holiday is the Remembrance Festival, which occurs at the end of midsummer every year. On its last day, known as All Spirits Day, the high priest at the Temple of the Sacred Rites in Ormindy Do burns incense and reads the names of the honoured dead from the Scroll of Memory.

Gholorz Garan'du

 * type - polytheistic
 * location(s) - Ethredore (orcs)
 * god(s) - The Gholorz - Sazotz (death), Uthos (fortune), Khaorr (war)
 * ranks - n/a

Gholorz Garan’du - also known as “House of the Gods” - is centered around the reverence of a trinity of gods, also known as the Gholorz, who represent death (Sazotz), fortune (Uthos), and war (Khaorr). It is believed by orcs that these three deities are in a constant struggle for supremacy over orcish society, and that the prayers and offerings of individual orcs to them sustain this struggle, which symbolizes the struggle of life and the three parts of it considered most important to every orc - battle against one's foes, prosperity and fortune as a result of successful effort, and inevitably death, which comes for every orc.

The religion maintains no priests or temples, as adherence to the faith is the duty of every individual orc. It likewise has no formal texts, as all beliefs and practises are passed on via oral tradition. The closest thing to clergy within the faith are the lorekeepers, elder orcs whose purpose in society is to maintain the knowledge of their beliefs and pass it on to younger orcs who seek to likewise preserve the faith.

Precursors

 * ruins (Ethradora) - Ionorath, Ioturona, Ioredell, Ioxonor, Iammeque
 * unique sites  - Infinite Archive, Star Hammer, Font of Harmony
 * presence - nil, departed Enneron around 25,000 years ago

Very little is known about the ancient peoples known only as the Precursors. They were a highly magically adept people, and possessed advanced magitech knowledge, as evidenced by the various automatons and machinery still operational within the city ruins scattered across Ethradora. Some of the very scarce information uncovered about their history suggests that they left Enneron some 25,000 years ago for parts unknown.

Precursor artifacts are highly prized and extremely valuable. However, it is a criminal offence in every corner of Ethradora to own such items, as most are highly magickal and can be extremely dangerous in the hands of individuals inexperienced in the arcane arts. Typically, in those rare instances where explorers are able to reach the inner halls of a Precursor ruin and bring out interesting objects, they are turned over to the Incantrium for study.

People

 * Papus, Ronson, Helenus, Sorini, Virini, Humilio, Leovarus

Misc

 * Ready! Give fire!
 * Remainder, to your left hand face! Smartly in file, now!  Prepare to march...march on!
 * Fil-Co
 * It was the eve of the Remembrance Festival. I could hear them ringing the temple chimes.  I could smell the burning bijl leaves, and taste the incense on the wind.